I am not personally acquainted with Dov Waxman, professor of Israel Studies at UCLA, but I am aware of his reputation. He is known for his left-leaning ideology, his criticism of Israel, his support for the Palestinian cause, and his tendency to downplay the prevalence of antisemitism among “antizionists.”
Recently, I came across a tweet by him explaining why he does not support the “encampment” at UCLA of special interest:
I cannot participate in this protest because it is not solely against the war in Gaza. The organizers of the protest have demanded the “severing of all UC-wide connections to Israeli universities, including study abroad programs, fellowships, seminars, and research collaborations, and UCLA’s Nazarian Center.” I strongly oppose the boycott of the Nazarian Center, which I oversee. The Center is dedicated to the academic study of Israel and has no affiliations with the Israeli government. I also oppose boycotting Israeli academic institutions and academic boycotts in general.
However, it is not just the demands of the [UCLA] protest organizers that concern me. One of the groups supporting the protest, Students for Justice in Palestine, has expressed support for Hamas and even celebrated the massacre of Israelis on October 7. [David notes: This is true of both the national organization and individual campus SJPs.] Supporting Palestinians does not imply supporting Hamas. In fact, Hamas oppresses Palestinians and shows no regard for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. They have openly admitted their willingness to sacrifice numerous Palestinian lives—”martyrs”—for their cause, which is the complete elimination of Israel. They have invested billions in constructing an extensive underground network to protect themselves and their weapons, yet they have not built a single bomb shelter for Gazan civilians or provided them shelter in their tunnels. They are prolonging the devastating war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there to maintain their power and authoritarian rule in Gaza.
I understand that many individuals in the pro-Palestinian movement do not endorse Hamas and do not praise the October 7 massacre, but groups like SJP often lead the movement on college campuses, taking advantage of the empathy many students rightfully feel for the plight of Palestinians. Students and faculty showing support for Palestinians should not overlook the fact that the organizers of these demonstrations are, in many cases, committed to eradicating Israel, expelling Israeli Jews, endorsing violence against Israeli civilians, and justifying Hamas’ tactic of sacrificing Palestinian civilians for political gain.
I would like to add two points to Waxman’s statement. Firstly, SJP is the primary force behind protests on most campuses and, as Waxman pointed out, is pro-Hamas. This essentially makes the protests pro-Hamas, much like a demonstration organized by the KKK against affirmative action would be considered racist, irrespective of the individual protesters’ intentions. Additionally, two other major groups involved in organizing these protests, Within Our Lifetimes and (ironically named) Jewish Voice for Peace, also support Hamas. If student protestors wish to avoid being associated with or perceived as indifferent to Hamas’ genocidal objectives and actions, they should establish protest organizations that disavow any support for Hamas. Otherwise, they risk being lumped into the category of “there are some very fine people at the protests.”
Secondly, as I have emphasized on numerous occasions, there is no unified pro-Palestinian movement. Instead, there exists a movement fueled by hatred towards Israel that unites individuals with various anti-Israel ideologies, such as Palestinian nationalism, pan-Arab nationalism, radical Islamism, anti-colonialism, and antisemitism, among others. This movement fosters solidarity among groups that would typically be at odds, like radical Islamists and radical secular leftists, among other unlikely allies. Palestinians serve as pawns in this anti-Israel sentiment. When faced with a choice between supporting initiatives that benefit both Israelis and Palestinians or those that harm both, this movement consistently opts for the latter. Pro-Palestinian individuals have had ample opportunities since October 7 to form organizations that advocate for Palestinian rights while explicitly rejecting Hamas and the violent obliteration of Israel. Yet, they have yet to seize this opportunity.
